The invention relates generally to protective devices for elongate flexible members. Specifically, the invention relates to an articulated bend limiter for limiting the bend of a submarine cable or other elongate flexible member. The invention also relates to coupling devices for securing an elongate flexible member at its terminal end to an object.
It is often advantageous to limit the bending radius of a steel cable, fiber optic cable, or other elongate flexible member in order to prevent excessive bending moments and stress in the cable. For example, in the field of submarine cables, a long cable assembly, sometimes reaching lengths in excess of one mile, is towed behind a marine vessel to conduct seismic exploration using a number of sensing devices that are attached to streamers on the cable. The motion of the towed cable in the marine environment results in constantly changing forces on the cable assembly which may cause the cable to bend in an unpredictable fashion. It is therefore beneficial to include devices at the cable terminal ends, or mid span of the cable, which prevent excessive bending.